Baby It's Cold Outside
by Miko in training
Summary: It's Finally vacation and by some Miracle, Adrien managed to convince his father to have a party at the beginning of break. But what happens when curiosity seems too much for this cat? Can he resist when temptation calls or will he behave?


**Merry Christmas Everyone! And Happy Holidays to those that don't do Christmas! This was bouncing around in my head for a few weeks and I figured now would be a good time to write and post it! Before all the craziness of my family starts up. Please know that I have not seen any of Season Two yet! So NOTHING in here should be a spoiler for that season.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir.**

 **Baby, It's Cold Outside.**

After much negotiating with his father, Adrien was allowed to have a small party with his classmates at his house, under Nathalie's supervision of course. The week before the party Adrien had announced it to the class and everyone was excited to go to Adrien's right when break started.

Now it was the day of the party and already people were showing up. Nathalie checked everyone at the door and informed them of the house rules. Kim, Max, Alix, Mylene, Ivan, and Nathanial had already arrived. Nino was coming with Alya just to be on the safe side in case he was still banned from the house. Better to come with a date rather than alone to a place he knew he was strongly disliked by everyone except his best friend.

He and Alya had just reached the front door when a limo pulled up to the steps and Sabrina stepped out and held the door open for Chloe. She, unlike everyone else who just wore normal clothes, decided to wear a silver sequin shirt with a black short skirt and silver small high heels and a fur coat to cover her shoulders. The three at the door just watched as she sauntered up to the door. Ignoring the two teens, Chloe smiled smugly at Nathalie. "Good evening. I'm sure Adrikins is just so excited to see me. I'll see myself in." she was about to walk in when Nathalie stopped her.

"Name?" She asked. Only for Chloe to laugh in her face.

"You can't be serious. I am sure you know who I am. My Daddy, the Mayor, is sure to refresh your memory." She snubbed.

Nathalie didn't look amused in the slightest. "Name." she demanded not taking Chloe's threat.

Chloe huffed and turned away. "Sabrina!" she demanded.

"Bourgeois, Chloe." Sabrina told Nathalie obediently.

Nathalie narrowed her eyes at the two before looking at her list. Chloe's name was on it but if this was her attitude she was not welcome in the house. She would cause more chaos and headache then would be necessary. "While your name is on the list, I am afraid I cannot permit you to enter." Nathalie informed the snobbish girl.

"This is Ridiculous! My Adrikins will be expecting me!" Chloe seethed. "I demand you let me in, now!"

"No, I am afraid I must ask you to leave or you will be removed. I will inform Adrien of the reason why you could not enter." Nathalie told her as she stood firmly in the door way.

"This is Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! You will be hearing from my daddy about this!" Chloe yelled at her.

"I look forward to informing him of your behavior towards one of the richest families in Paris and how you are banned from every Agreste product." Nathalie informed her before clapping her hands and Adrien's body guard appeared behind her a moment later. "I must ask you to leave at once. He will be happy to escort you back to your limo." She finished, indicating to Gorilla with an open hand.

Gorilla glared down at the snobbish girl as she started to back up. "You haven't heard the last of me! I will have you fired sooner than you can say, 'yes ma'am'!"

"You don't have the authority. Good day." Nathalie said as Chloe sashayed back to the limo.

"Sabrina, you are welcome to enter, as well as Alya and Nino. I am sorry for the wait you two." Nathalie apologized. "There is no rough housing allowed. Everyone must stay in the two rooms reserved for the party, and the bathrooms are across the hall from the double doors in the Ballroom."

"That's quite alright." Alya assure her. "Thank you Nathalie." The three went in while Chloe climbed back into her limo.

"Ridiculous, utterly Ridiculous!" Chloe muttered as she watched the three teens walk into the mansion before pulling away.

…

On the other side of town Ladybug and Chat Noir were busy ending a battle with an Akuma. This one wasn't very hard. An artist got rejected from an exhibit and Hawkmoth was taking advantage of him.

"Let's finish this up quick Chat. I need to get somewhere!" Ladybug called out as she dodged the chisel that the Akuma had. They were trying to get to the rejection letter in the Akuma's bag. That was where the Akuma butterfly was.

"You and me both Milady!" Chat agreed. He stopped the Akuma's hammer with his staff before pushing him back. In a quick switch Ladybug gave a quick distraction before Chat pounced and pinned the Akuma to the ground locking both hands and his chest to the ground with his staff. Ladybug took the opportunity to grab the letter and rip it in half.

The Akuma fluttered out and into the air where Ladybug caught it and purified it. Thankfully, neither of them had used their special powers this time around, and they managed to turn the civilian back to normal. After some reassuring words, Ladybug turned back to Chat and grinned. "Pound it!" they chanted before smiling and Chat stepped back.

"As lovely as it is to see you Milady, I sadly do have to go. I have a previous engagement that I must attend to. I would be more than happy to invite you but then you would see me without my mask." He said with a sly grin.

"As tempting as that offer is Chat." Ladybug said flinging his bell with a grin of her own. "I, too, have somewhere to be right now. Until next time Kitty." She said before jumping backwards and sending her yo-yo out to catch a chimney and headed off to where she needed to be.

"If only I knew who she really was under that mask." Chat swooned when he knew she was out of sight. He only stood there for a moment more before jumping off back home. It was completely impolite for a host to be late to his own party and making his guests wait.

…

Marinette hopped down into an abandoned alley and looked around to make sure she was really alone. Once the cost was clear she de-transformed and caught Tikki in her hands. "Great job Marinette. But now it's time to get to Adrien's party. You don't want to be late." Tikki told her charge before flying into Marinette's purse and grabbing a cookie.

Marinette smiled at her Kwami before looking both ways out of the alley and turned right to head towards Adrien's.

It didn't take long to get there and she watched as Juleka and Rose walked into the mansion. At the top of the stairs was Nathalie with a clipboard. She quickly made her way up the stairs and stopped in front of the secretary. "Hello, Dupain-Cheng, Marinette." She said with a sheepish smile.

"Ah, yes. I was told you might be a little late by your friend, Miss Alya." She said calmly. "Seems she was off by about five minutes, you're right on time. Please, come in and welcome to the Agreste Mansion." She said read off the rules and followed Marinette in. While the girl wasn't late, she was the last one to arrive.

The Dining room table was topped with every kind of food anyone could imagine, as well as drinks and plates that could easily be thrown into the bin when everyone was done. The far doors opened to a large open 'dance' area where everyone could hang out and chat while they enjoyed the music that played off to the side. Adrien's father refused to allow Nino to DJ so they only had cd's and the like to play. Which was fine with Nino as this gave him time to hang with his girlfriend and his best friend.

Adrien had made it to the dance room before Marinette and Nathalie so he dodged getting in trouble with her and none of his friends really mentioned him being late, probably because he was always running off to do something at school with little notice.

"Adrien! Great party, dude." Nino said as the two fist bumped in greeting and Alya took the slight distraction to go over to Marinette.

"Girl, there you are. On time for once I see." She teased.

"It's easy when I'm not falling asleep on a project that I worked on the night before and ended up running late for school, you know." She teased back. Even if she gave her teachers lame excuses, she had told Alya it was because she works late on homework, and fashion projects that she falls sleep on, as the reason she is always late.

"I hear ya girl. Come on, let's grab some snacks and see what the girls have planned for the week we have off. You know, aside from the holiday." She giggled before pulling Marinette along into the other room where they saw, Alix, Sabrina, Rose, and Juleka all grabbing a plate of something to eat at one end of the table. Max, Kim, and Nathanial where at the other end of the table grabbing a large plate of food, before bounding out back into the other room.

"Hey, Marinette finally showed up somewhere, on time."Alix teased which everyone joined in laughing along at the joke.

Marinette sighed and placed her purse on the table as they slowly stopped laughing. "Yeah, I know. At least I'm not the last one here. Chloe hasn't shown up yet."

"Actually she did, but Miss Nathalie told her she wasn't welcome because of her attitude." Sabrina admitted.

"Wait let me guess. She came up to the door, pushed past whoever was there and demanded to be allowed in to be with …" she gagged for a moment before continuing in a higher pitched voice trying to sound like a whiny Chloe. "'My Adrikins'." Her voice went back to normal. "How close am I?"

"Uh, spot on. I know Chloe annoys you and all but that was a little too true to what happened. Did you spy on the house hoping to see Adrien before gathering up the nerve to come in?" Alya asked.

"I've been in the same class as Chloe for six years in a row. You tend to pick up a few things. Besides, she is always referring to Adrien as hers or that horrible nickname she gave him." Marinette explained. Almost everyone nodded their head in awe and agreement before Sabrina spoke up again.

"While that may be true, she was Adrien's only friend for many years. And Chloe always gets her way." Sabrina defended.

"Uh, you know that's horrible right? She got Alya suspended for a photo, got her, Kim, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, and your Dad Akumatized. Not to mention she did the same to you and treats you like a foot stool instead of a friend." Alix explained to her.

"Marinette isn't any better. When we were partnered to do that project together she told me she had something important to do, just like Chloe always does." Sabrina shot back.

"Yes, Nathanial was just Akumatized and broke into my room. I told him I would meet him for his birthday so he would leave Chloe alone. And then Chat Noir showed up right after you left and I helped him try and get the Akuma Item away from Nathanial to get him back to normal. I told you right after I would help you with the project but you did it by yourself while tending to Chloe, who, might I remind you, ended up getting Nathanial Akumatized in the first place." Marinette said not only explaining what actually happened (and managing to keep her secret identity) but told Sabrina she had every intention of helping with the project.

Everyone was quiet for a moment and no one seemed to notice Adrien and Nino standing behind them in the doorway listening to the entire conversation about Chloe. "So wait a minute. Even after all of the horrible things Chloe has done to you over the years, you still defended her against an Akuma?" Rose asked shocked.

"What was I supposed to do? Just let the Akuma attack her and do nothing to stop it?" She asked as if that was the stupidest idea to come to mind.

A few of the girls raised their hands slightly. "I would. I mean, that's karma for you. You do something bad; something bad is going to happen to you." Alix said as if it was the obvious choice.

"And if you do nothing when you can make things better for someone else, no matter whom that person is?" Marinette asked making all of the girls look down. The two boys shared an awed look before looking back over at the girls.

"Marinette does have a point. Just because Chloe does something bad to us, doesn't mean we have to stoop to her level and be just as bad." Alya agreed. "After all, Ladybug would probably say the same thing."

"Right Alya, and who doesn't want to be like Ladybug?" Marinette said with a grin at her BFF.

All the girls quickly agreed but Adrien was still stuck on what Alya had said to Marinette's comment. _'Ladybug would probably say the same thing. Ladybug would say the same thing. Ladybug, say the same thing. Ladybug, say the same.'_

"Dude!" Nino whispered into Adrien's ear finally bringing him out of his daze.

Adrien looked over at Nino confused. "Huh? What?" he asked dumbly.

"Dude, if I didn't know any better, I would say you're crushin' on Marinette. I don't know if you know this dude, but there is a bro code. Never try to date the same girl your best friend was into." He told him, only to get a raised eyebrow in return. "Unless you ask if it was okay and it's been more than six months." He explained with a grin. "It's cool, dude. I am dating her best friend after all. So if you wanted to ask her out, I'm fine with it."

"Uh, thanks Nino, but even if I wanted to, she wouldn't go out with me. She can't even talk to me for more than five seconds before she starts mixing up her words. The only time she spoke normal around me was after she told Chloe off when she talked bad about Marinette's Uncle from China." He sighed. "I'm pretty sure she still hates me about the gum incident."

Nino couldn't help but laugh loudly at his best friend, gaining the attention of everyone else. "Dude." Nino choked out before laughing harder. "That's… that's the… funniest thing… you have ever… said." He managed to say while still laughing.

Adrien blushed lightly as the girls looked over at them confused. He noticed that Marinette looked shocked and nervous before avoiding his eyes and concentrated more on Nino's laughter.

"And just what is so funny Nino?" Alya asked as she stormed up to her boyfriend and stopping right in front of him. Not only sobering Nino but blocking Adrien's view of Marinette.

Once he was calm Nino pulled Alya closer so he could whisper what Adrien said. It only took a minute before she started laughing so hard she was doubled over in laughter. "Oh Adrien." She said as she laughed. It took her a moment to calm down but she finally did and heartily gave him a reassuring smile. "Marinette doesn't hate you."

Everyone was shocked for a moment before some of the girls giggled and Marinette blushed a deep red. She walked closer and managed to speak normally to him. "You… thought I hated you?" she asked sadly.

Adrien didn't really know what to do at the moment, on one hand he couldn't exactly lie to her but if she started crying he really didn't know what to do then. And if only for a second, the same look that had once been on Ladybug's face, when Roger told her they didn't need them, was now on Marinette's. It was almost like stepping back in time to that day. Grabbing her shoulders he spoke to her like he did when he was Chat talking to Ladybug. "I only thought you hated me because you are always unable to talk to me like you do everyone else. I thought you were still upset about the bubble gum."

Marinette was quiet and shocked for a moment before she smiled softly at him. "I don't hate you Adrien." She told him.

They seemed to look at each other for what seemed like hours but it was only a few minutes, until Alya threw an arm over Marinette's shoulders and grinned at them both. "So silly, Agreste. But this is supposed to be a party. So let's enjoy ourselves." She said pulling Marinette back towards the other room.

The other girls soon followed the two best friends and started talking about their plans that they made for the break. Nino grabbed a cracker topped with cheese, meat and some kind of light drizzle sauce on it before following the girls to the other room. Once his best friend was out of the room Adrien sighed before going over to the table for a few carrot sticks. That's when he noticed Marinette's bag. "Marinette must have forgotten it when Alya pulled her away." He gently picked it up and felt the fabric of the purse. It wasn't ruff or even fraying. "Marinette takes this everywhere. I wonder if she lined it with a matching material or if she used something softer, maybe silk." He was about to open it when he realized that, that would be a violation of privacy. And he only just found out that she didn't hate him, so he really didn't want to actually get on her bad side. "I shouldn't." he muttered before a hand landed on his back and Kim stepped up from behind him.

"Shouldn't what?" He asked as he grabbed a piece of bread filled with meat and cheese and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Oh, uh, I shouldn't… leave Marinette's purse here. She might need it." He told him with a grin.

"Yeah, she brings that little bag with her everywhere and almost never opens it. Like she's hiding something inside." He paused for a moment before laughing. "But that's just crazy. Clumsy Marinette is hiding a secret? Alya would sniff it out in a second." He grinned before patting Adrien's back again and heading into the other room. "Great party by the way, see ya in a bit." And with that he walked back into the other room.

Adrien watched Kim leave before looking back down at the purse. _'A secret? Could it be?'_

Plagg took that moment to come out of his jacket pocket and look from the purse to his charge. "Come on, kid. There's two ways this could go. You open it and either find out the love of your life has been sitting behind you or not. Or, you simple keep that curiosity to yourself and let it eat you from the inside out."

"Plagg, you know how the saying goes. 'Curiosity killed the cat'." Adrien argued.

Before he could continue Plagg cut him off. "But satisfaction brought him back. Come on. One look won't hurt anyone. It's always better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission."

Adrien fought over this dilemma for a few minutes before clutching the purse to his chest. "But if she is Ladybug than I would be betraying her trust by finding out whom she is even though she doesn't want me to know." Adrien told Plagg sternly.

"Fine. I'll check." Plagg said. Before Adrien could stop him Plagg phased into the little purse and there was an instant squeak, and it didn't sound like Plagg.

"No Plagg!" Adrien whisper/yelled at the purse. In a slight panic he looked around to make sure he was still alone and that no one was going to be coming into the room any time soon. "Plagg, Get out of there." He reprimanded. There were some muffled noises in the purse as well as some movement. "Plagg get out or I won't give you Camembert for a week." There was more muffled noise before Plagg popped his head out.

"You won't believe this kid." Plagg said before phasing out and bringing something out with him. It was red, Plagg's size, creature with a black spot on her head, a spot on each cheek and blue eyes. "Allow me to introduce Tikki. Ladybug's Kwami."

Before Adrien could even speak, Tikki turned to Plagg with blazing blue eyes. Adrien unconsciously took a step back from them. "You are breaking every rule by revealing me to him! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Maybe you can take all that love talk Tiks but I can't. He's driving me nuts with all his 'love' talk. She sits behind him in school. I can't take this drama anymore." Plagg whined.

Adrien blushed just before he heard footsteps coming closer. Without thinking he grabbed the two Kwami's and stuffed them in the purse without looking. He then ran to the closest closet and closed the door most of the way. He watched to see who walked in when to his horror; Marinette appeared and was looking around the table, most likely looking for her purse, and her Kwami. "Marinette." He whispered to himself.

He noticed Marinette look up from under the table and look around confused. He covered his mouth to quiet his breathing and back away from the door so she didn't see him. Unfortunately, as bad luck would have it, he tripped over a set of boots and landed in the back of the coat closet.

The commotion brought Marinette's attention to the closet. Stepping lightly over to the closet she called out before slowly opening the door. "Hello? Anyone in here?" she asked. In the blink of an eye she was tackled to the ground and the door actually closed, leaving them in the dark. "What is the big idea?"

In a panic Adrien had tackled Marinette to the ground and the door to the closet closed on them. He heard her complaint and said the first thing that came to mind. Unfortunately it was not the smartest thing for him to say. "I'm so sorry you're Ladybug."

There was silence in the dark as Adrien realized what he said. "E-excuse me?" Marinette stuttered out.

"That's not what I meant!" he hurriedly tried to correct. "I mean I'm sorry, for tackling you in the closet."

"A-Adrien?" She asked nervously. She recognized his voice so easily.

He didn't know what to say to her. He had promised himself he would never lie to Ladybug ever since it had saved him from his Copy Cat. And Marinette is Ladybug, so he really couldn't lie to her, even if it meant she would hate him now for discovering she is Ladybug. "I'm so, so sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean to, I never wanted to find out this way. Milady, Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive this stupid cat for defying your wishes and discovering your secret when you didn't want me to?"

He couldn't see it, but Marinette was completely confused. What was he talking about? Her Ladybug secret was obvious, but what was he talking about 'stupid cat', 'Milady', only one person used those terms. But why was Adrien using them?

"Adrien… why are you trying to sound like Chat? As for my secret, you can't tell anyone about it. Please." She told him urgently as she sat up seeing how Adrien got up to kneel next to her.

Adrien took a deep breath in before looking at her slight silhouette. "Marinette, Plagg found Tikki." He told her as calmly as possible.

Marinette was once again confused. "Who is Plagg?" Then fear seemed to fill her. "He can't tell anyone who I am either!" she nearly yelled.

"Marinette…" He paused before looking up. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark he could see the pull string for the closet light. "Hold on." He stood and pulled the string and light filled the small room. Looking down he saw a blushing Marinette looking down at her lap, seeming almost ashamed.

"I know what you're thinking. Clumsy Marinette is Ladybug, how disappointing." She shrugged.

Adrien's jaw instantly dropped, he couldn't believe what she was saying. "I could never think so little of you, Milady. You are amazing. You save Paris, you are class rep, deal with Chloe, and do all kinds of things for your friends on a daily basses! You could never disappoint this cat Milady."

She gave him another confused look. "As touching as that is, why do you keep calling me 'Milady' and referring to yourself as 'cat'?"

He smiled gently at her before looking behind him. "Tikki, Plagg, could you come here please?" Adrien asked. He knew she was having a hard time believing that he was Chat.

Slowly Tikki floated over to Marinette, who held out her hands for her Kwami to land in. "I'm sorry Marinette."

"It's not your fault Tikki. It was mine."

"No, Marinette. It was Plagg's. He was the one to pull Tikki out of your closed purse." Adrien said as a black cat Kwami came into view and floated next to Adrien's head.

"Hey." He said coolly.

"Plagg, Apologize!" Adrien demanded as he glared at his Kwami.

Plagg folded his arms and turned away from them. "Why should I? You should be thanking me." He said indignantly.

"Tha-Thank You? You went into Marinette's purse when I told you not to. After you tried to get me to open it! You tried to manipulate me into doing something stupid, again! So I will not thank you for blowing Marinette's secret identity. I wanted to respect her wishes and wait until she was ready to tell me. And for doing so, you will apologize to Marinette and Tikki or you won't be getting Camembert for a month." He threatened the little god.

Tikki, Marinette, and Plagg all looked at him shocked, all for different reasons. "You… you can't deny me my gooeyness! How will I survive?"

"There are plenty of different cheeses you like. I seem to recall you like cheddar, swiss, I'm sure I can find some other type you like too." Adrien told him with a smug grin.

"But I love my Gooeyness!"

"Then apologize to Marinette and Tikki." He ordered.

With a groan he slowly floated over to Marinette and Tikki. "I'm sorry for everything."

Marinette blinked at the black cat god for a moment before smiling at him. "Thank you for apologizing Plagg. But don't ever reveal another secret identity again." she gently scolded.

"Yeah, yeah." He said before flying off.

Tikki floated over to Adrien for a moment and smiled. "The master chose well when he picked you for the cat Miraculous. Not many can resist Plagg's way of doing things."

"He doesn't make it easy." Adrien grinned before Tikki giggled and went after Plagg. Adrien slowly turned back to Marinette who sat there with a slight blush on her face as everything finally hit her. "Not how imagined finding out who you are." He said sitting beside her.

It was quiet for a few minutes before Marinette spoke up quietly. "Why did you want to find out who I was so badly? I'm no one special. I'm completely different from ladybug."

Adrien looked at her for a moment before thinking of something. "Let's see, Confident? Check. Courageous? Check. Selfless? Check." Marinette looked at him completely confused. "Humble? Check. Righteous? Check. Hard working? Check."

"What are you doing?" She asked making him stop his list.

He smiled at her. "I'm using words that describe both Ladybug and Marinette. You see, I think you have it just a little backwards." When she gave him a 'yeah right' look he knew he had to elaborate. "You talk about Ladybug as if she is far superior to you. That isn't the case. The mask doesn't define us Marinette. We define the masks we wear. You, Marinette, make Ladybug be the hero everyone in Paris sees whenever we go into battle."

She blinked a few times before smiling at him. "Thank you Adrien. But I think you're forgetting one thing." She told him with a side grin.

Confused, he couldn't stop the question that left his lips. "What's that?"

"I wouldn't be the best hero if it wasn't for the best partner anyone could ask for." She told him with a sincere grin and a blush that covered her cheeks.

Adrien chuckled nervously while he rubbed the back of his head, much like what Chat does when he's flattered or embarrassed. It was quiet for a little while until Adrien finally got the courage to ask something that he had wanted to ask for a very long time. "Marinette?" she looked at him to let him know he has her attention. "I know we just found out each other's secret identities and all, but… I really want to get to know the girl behind the mask. I have from the day we defeated Stoneheart. And I was wondering, if you would be my girlfriend?" he asked shyly.

The blush on Marinette's face grew darker as his words reached her. She couldn't help the happy giggle that came from deep in her chest. Looking up at the nervous boy beside her, her friend, partner, and crush, only one answer came to mind. "I will be your girlfriend, on _one_ condition."

"Anything!" he told her instantly. "Just name it."

"We are professional when we are fighting Akuma's and in front of the camera's. The last thing we need is Hawk Moth using us against each other." She told him firmly.

"I will do my very best to control myself, Milady." Adrien said giving a half bow seeing as he was sitting already.

"You can't keep calling me that when we are normal, Adrien. No matter how use to it we are." She teased.

"You're right. Then, I already know which one to use." He grinned at her before moving just a little closer to her face making her blush harder. "Princess. After all, I am the only one to have called you that."

She paused for a moment before giggling. "That is true. I didn't even tell Alya that Chat called me 'Princess'."

"Well then Princess." He said as he got up. "How about we get out of this closet." He offered her his hand and she happily took it as he helped her up. "Plagg, Tikki are you staying here?" he asked.

Tikki came flying over with Marinette's purse and Plagg followed her reluctantly. "We'll both hide in Marinette's purse for now. We can always act like dolls if anyone opens it." Tikki explained.

"Great idea." Marinette agreed. She pulled the strap over her head and opened her purse to allow the two Kwami's inside. Once they were safely tucked away, Adrien took her hand in his and turned off the light with his other one. He saw where the door was before the light went out so it was a simple two steps in the general direct before he could feel the door knob with his out stretched hand.

Opening the door a crack he looked around to see if anyone would see them coming out of the closet. Seeing no one he stepped out with Marinette right behind him. "I hope we weren't missed." He muttered only for a voice that was not Marinette's to answer.

"When the host of a party disappears, they are very much missed. Just what were you two doing in there?" Nathalie asked Adrien, scolding.

The two spun around and looked Nathalie surprised. "Oh, uh, we were just… uh…" Adrien started to stutter before Marinette came to the rescue.

"Adrien offered to put my purse in the closet with my jacket but being the klutz I am, I tripped into him and we fell into the closet with the door closing behind us."

"And it took you twenty minutes to come back out?" She asked disbelievingly.

"You see, earlier tonight, Adrien admitted he thought I hated him, which was actually the very opposite. So we actually just got to talking and apologizing and we lost track of time. We are very sorry." Marinette explained better, and to much of Adrien's surprise, there really wasn't any lie in there.

Nathalie watched them for a few minutes before she saw their intertwined hands. "Very well. Do not let it happen again." she told them before walking off.

Once she was out of earshot Adrien turned to Marinette with a wide smile. She saw the look and gave him a quizzical one. "What?"

"Nothing. Just admiring how amazing you are." He told her.

She blushed deeply before bringing back that confidence and giving him a sly grin. "You flatter me too much. I might start to get as big an ego as you." She teased.

"My ego is very humble. I only give credit and Compliments when they are due." He told her with a teasing bow. This made her giggle and bring a large smile to his face when he stood up right again. They both laughed before heading into the other room to mingle with their friends.

…

Later that evening the snow started to pick up from a light dusting on the ground to a heavy snow fall. The friend's who lived further away left a little earlier when they saw the snow picking up, or got notifications on their phones about the weather. Max, Kim, Ivan and Mylene had left about an hour after the notifications explaining that they had to get home before the snow got too bad. Sabrina left a half hour before them saying she had to go check on Chloe and then get home. Alix, Juleka, Rose and Nathanial were gathering their things as Nino was helping Alya put her coat on.

"I'm glad everyone could make it. Thank you for coming." Adrien sad as the rest of his friends left through the door with waves and thanks as well before facing the cold. Nino turned to his best friend while Alya straightened her jacket.

"Thanks for having us man. This was a great party." Nino said as he patted his shoulder. "I'll see you soon, bud. Joyeux Noël."

"Joyeux Noël!" Adrien mimicked happily. He waved good bye to Alya as she and Nino left. Once the doors closed behind his friends, he gave a happy, relieved, sigh. At least until he heard a clatter, come from the dining room. Moving to investigate, he noticed Marinette standing over a fallen platter that had once held veggies but it was empty now. "Marinette, what are you doing?" he asked with a smile on his face. No doubt she was trying to clean up the table to make less work for the cooks.

I was just trying to stack some of the empty plates so the staff didn't have too much to do before going home in this storm." Marinette told him sheepishly, picking up the platter as she did so.

"You don't have to do that Marinette. I was going to clean up. I sent the staff home when it started to get bad so they didn't struggle with the bad weather." He told her.

She looked at him shocked. "You can't do all of this by yourself. You won't get to bed before midnight."

"It won't take me that long. We have a dishwasher. Everything can go in there and it will be done in no time." He told her easily as he took a few plates off the table and started staking them. "Besides, I couldn't ask you to help me clean up. You are a guest after all, Princess."

"You should know I never let someone do something alone. What kind of person would I be if I did?" she teased playful.

"I can see there is no talking you out of it. So let's get this done quickly and maybe we can have one last dance." He told her wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She went over to him and poked his nose pushing his head back slightly. "Let's get the dishes done first, and then we will see about a dance."

Adrien grinned wider before gathering more dishes and heading to the kitchen with Marinette right behind him. After battling by her side against Hawk Moth, he knew when not to fight with her about something. This was definitely one of those times. It was a good thing too. While it would have taken him at least a few hours to get everything cleaned up, with Marinette's help it felt like it took no time at all. By the time they were done it was very dark and the snow was absolutely horrible.

"I really should get going. It's later than I intended to stay and I have to get home before it gets any worse." Marinette explained as they noticed the weather outside.

"Princess, there is no way you can get home in that." He told her sternly but there was a hint of worry behind his words that brought a smile to Marinette's face.

"Thanks for your worry, Tiger, but I can get home just fine." She assured him.

He looked at her quizzically for a moment before tilting his head to the side slightly. "Tiger?"

She giggled and walked up to him a bopped his nose playfully. "I can't call you 'kitty' in front of our friends, now can I? That would give us away." She teased. "Besides, I think it suites you. Gentle but fierce."

His grin widened before he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You win that one, but you are not going out in the horrible storm." He said leading her back towards the ball room.

"And why not?" Marinette asked slightly annoyed and confused.

"For one, it's absolutely impossible to get through. Second, you still owe me a dance." He said hitting the play on the CD player. Instantly she recognized the song and knew what his plan was. He was a sly kitty after all. So she decided to sing along with the music in hopes he would get the hint and let her go home.

 _(Marinette,_ _Adrien,_ _ **together**_ _)_

 _"_ _I really can't stay._

 _But baby it's cold outside._

 _I've got to go 'way._

 _But baby it's cold outside._

Marinette playfully pulled away only to be pulled into a spin back to him where he easily caught her.

 _This evening has been_

 _Been hopin' that you'd drop in._

 _So very nice._

 _I'll hold your hands. They're just like ice!_

He gently kissed the hand he was holding and grinned at her.

 _My mother will start to worry._

 _Beautiful, what's your hurry?_

 _My father will be pacing the floor._

 _Listen to the fireplace roar!_

 _So really I'd better scurry._

 _Beautiful, please don't hurry._

 _Well maybe just a half a drink more._

 _Put some records on while I pour_ _._

 _The neighbors might think_

 _Baby it's bad out there._

 _Say, what's in this drink?_

 _No cabs to be had out there._

 _I wish I knew how_

 _Your eyes are like starlight now._

 _To break the spell._

 _I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell!_

Marinette bopped his nose playfully while grinning, one that he easily returned. He pulled her closer so that there was barely any space between them.

 _I ought to say no, no, no sir!_

 _Mind if I move in closer?_

 _At least I'm gonna say that I tried._

 _What's the sense of hurtin' my pride?_

 _I really can't stay._

 _Baby don't hold out_

 _Aw,_ _Baby,_ _ **It's cold outside!**_

Marinette smiled at him. "Uh! You're very pushy, you know."

Adrien grinned back and leaned into her ear. "I like to think of it as O _purr_ timistic." She grinned at him before sing along with the CD once more.

 _I simply must go._

 _Baby it's cold outside._

 _The answer is no._

 _But baby it's cold outside._

 _This welcome has been_

 _How lucky that you dropped in._

 _So nice and warm._

 _Look out the window at that storm!_

Marinette could only shake her head at the next few lines seeing as she had no blood sister or brother; but Alya and Nino fit those rolls very well in both of their lives. And while she didn't have a maiden Aunt, she did have an Uncle that was joining them this Christmas.

 _My sister will be suspicious._

 _Gosh, your lips look delicious!_

 _My brother will be there at the door._

 _Waves upon a tropical shore._

 _My maiden Aunt's mind is vicious_

 _Ooo, your lips are delicious._

 _Well maybe just a single kiss more._

 _Never such a blizzard before!_

Marinette tried to brush the blush off her face as she and Adrien continued to sing, but it was starting to prove difficult to keep her earlier argument about leaving. He did have a bit of a point.

 _I've got to get home._

 _But baby you'll freeze out there!_

 _Say, lend me your coat._

 _It's up to your knees out there._

 _You've really been grand._

 _I thrill when you touch my hand._

 _But don't you see?_

 _How can you do this thing to me?_

Adrien dipped her and gave her a questioning look as he said his last line. After all, if he lost her, he really didn't know what he would do with his life.

 _There's bound to be talk tomorrow._

 _Think of my life long sorrow._

 _At least there will be plenty implied._

 _If you caught pneumonia and died._

He said that last line with such seriousness, Marinette almost missed her next line.

 _I really can't stay._

 _Get over that old doubt._

 _Ooo,_ _Aw, but_ _Baby_ _ **It's cold outside!**_

She sighed as he gave her that serious look once more. She lost this fight, but losing against her partner and boyfriend about her safety and health, was probably not so bad. "Alright, I will wait till the storm dies down."

"I'm afraid the weather isn't going to lighten up until tomorrow afternoon." Nathalie told them from the doorway of the ball room. "Due to the storm, I am afraid Adrien is correct. We can't allow you to go out in this weather. I will have a room set up for you. Do you still need to inform your family that you will be staying the night here?" She asked looking at the tablet in her hands.

"I have a cell phone I can call them on. I will call them now. Thank you for allowing me to stay, Miss Nathalie." Marinette said politely.

"It is no trouble. I will be back in a moment to show you to your room. Adrien, your father would like a word with you." She said before walking off.

Reluctantly Adrien released Marinette's hands before giving a sad smile and going to see what his father wanted him for. Probably just to inform him of a photo shoot that was changed or added to the week. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be here." She assured him as she was soon left alone in a big empty ball room, with nothing but a record of Noel music.

…

It didn't take long to get to his father's office and knock on the door. "Come in Adrien." Gabriel called from inside.

Slowly, Adrien opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. "You wished to see me father?"

"Indeed. Nathalie informed me about what happened in the closet. You and Miss…" he paused expecting his son to give the girl a name.

"Marinette."

"Miss Marinette, fell in the closet. She said you and Miss Marinette cleared some tense air between the two of you?"

"Yes father. I had believed, to some extent, that Marinette disliked me for a misunderstanding in the beginning of last year. I only found out that it was actually quite the opposite reason for her nervousness around me. I grew very strong feelings for her over the time that I have known her and I didn't want her to be nervous around me anymore. While the closet was an accident, it did give us the time and space we needed to rectify any confusion between us." Adrien explained as truthfully as possible.

"Let me guess, she confessed and wanted to be your girlfriend." Gabriel said matter-of-factly.

"Actually, Father, she believed I was too good for her. She didn't say it in so many words, but the way she worded how she felt after I told her how much I liked her was, rather heart retching. She didn't believe I could like a girl like her for who she is."

Gabriel didn't move from his spot in front of his wife's portrait. He merely stood there thinking over his son's words. At least until he asked one more question. "And what did you tell her?"

A soft smile came to Adrien's face as he remembered what he told her. "That she is one of the most amazing people I know."

It was quiet for a few more minutes before Gabriel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Very well, I will approve of your relationship with her; but inform her that the press may start to tail her due to your relationship."

"Thank you Father." Adrien said before quickly leaving after Gabriel bid him good bye with a wave of his hand.

Adrien walked as quickly as he could, without running, back to the ball room and found Marinette and Nathalie standing there discussing something. "… the green room for you. I will be happy to escort you there." He heard Nathalie say before he stood beside Marinette.

"That's not necessary Nathalie. I would be happy to escort _my girlfriend_ to her room." Adrien said happily as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Nathalie stared at him for a few moments before holding the tablet closer to herself. "Very well. I will stop by to check on you in 30 minutes. Just to make sure you are settled for the night." And with that she walked out of the room.

The two watched her leave before he wrapped his other arm around Marinette and lifted her into the air, spinning her around while laughing happily. "You will not believe what my father just told me Marinette! He agreed that you could be my girlfriend. Isn't that amazing? I was so afraid that he would reject the idea. Especially, after what happened with Nino on my Birthday."

Marinette giggled until he put her down. "That is wonderful Adrien. I think your father was only looking out for your best interest. He still worries about you, but I think that's because you are all he has family wise right now."

"I know, but I take fencing for a reason." He assured her.

"You also stopped taking Karate. I remember you saying that once." Marinette teased. Adrien rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while he blushed.

"Yeah, so, shale I show you to your room, Princess?" He asked holding out his arm and smiling at her.

"I would be honored, Tiger." She took his arm and smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked through the ballroom and dining room and into the foyer where they started to ascend the stairs. They made it down the hall before they came to a room with a plain white door. "You know Adrien." She said as she looked up at him from his shoulder. "This has been a great evening. Thank you for the party, I'm sure everyone enjoyed themselves. And, thank you for allowing me to stay the night with all this bad weather."

"Of course, Princess. I'm glad everyone could come. Though knowing Chloe I am sure to get quite a few messages from her. Especially when I tell her about us." Adrien told her somewhat sad. He knew Chloe liked him more than just friends, but he didn't feel the same.

"It's okay, Tiger. Though I think you should wait until after the holidays to tell her. We don't want to ruin her Christmas or New Years." Marinette assured him.

"Speaking of New Years." He said with a grin. "What are your plans?" he said giving her a sly grin with wiggling eye brows, making her giggle.

 **Done! Oh My Goodness that took way too long. I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's late. I did not plan for it to take over two and a half weeks to write. Happy New Years Everyone! Let's survive 2018.**


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